Cold Beasts
by Pajarona
Summary: Sora was just a tool, he lived to die any time, so he never cared about anything, he just felt hatred and apathy. Riku was just the successor of a yakuza gang, he lived to kill, he was a cold bastard. What do they have in common? Hatred? Hurt? or maybe.../YAOI/ SHOUNEN-AI/ references of DRUGS AND ALCOHOL USE, RAPE, GORE, AGE GAP (not shota). /ex-SoraKokiri, just changed penname!
1. Chapter 1

Hello once again, dear people all over the net! I know, I know, I haven't posted something in years, but you know what? I suddenly came up with a great idea and just had to write it down. So here we are again, with the yaoi/shonen ai goodness!

Oh yeah, for those who don't know me by this Pen-name, I used to be SoraKokiri, you know," I Only Have My Body", and "No Heaven For Us"?...no? Oh well, this is my new name, used for…well mainly everything I do. It's like my signature or pseudonym.

Let's cut the bullshit and let's dive in shall we?

**Warnings**: you just know the first chapter won't go straight to the juicy parts, dontcha? Naw, this one just contains the setting of the story. But I must tell you, it will slowly progress until it gets good!

**Genre:** Romance/Drama/Slice of life kinda/Violence/Angst

* * *

The act became easier every time he tried doing it. He just had to find someone who looked barely wealthy, follow them and slowly approach them. Then in one, swift motion, and at the correct time, extend an arm and snatch the wallet from the pocket or hand, piece of cake.

Sure, it was hard at first; at the age of 12 he had been caught for the first time trying to pull a wallet from the jacket of some girl, but for some odd reason, the wallet had gotten stuck by the zipper to the inner fabric of the pocket and so, he pulled and pulled, making the girl squeal in terror.

Some guy, trying to be the good citizen, picked him up and threw him to the ground, applying something akin to a lock on his neck. Then the cops came and the rest was history. Of course something like that wasn't going to stop him, because as some people say, the need was greater. The boy had been caught so many times at first, he already knew the name of a few cops and even befriended them.

Now, at the age of 17, it had become a routine, though it was never something he felt proud of: He didn't do it because he needed money; he didn't do it because of the thrill, he didn't do it to buy drugs, not even because to buy something he fancied. No, Sora Hikari did it because if he didn't do it, his life would be in danger.

"This should do…" He murmured after running into a dark alley, wallet freshly stolen from a middle aged man in hand. He opened it, his blue, dull and tired eyes scanning the insides and taking the identifications and cards to throw them to the dirty floor. He took out some dollars, 30 to be exact, and seeing nothing else of value, tossed the leather wallet into a nearby trashcan, pulled his hood up his head, and looked around. He had to do this fast and be as cold headed as he could, no regrets. His dirty sneakers squeaked when he abruptly turned around and jogged through less crowded streets so nobody recognized him.

As much as he hated it, he had to go back to his "home".

"No pickups today I see" The old man grumbled, counting the dollars the brown haired boy gave him after returning to the old dingy and small apartment. His wrinkly, filthy hands flipped the bills over and over, as if making sure there really were 50 dollars.

"No, sir" Sora replied, annoyed that he had to talk to someone as low as the old bastard in such a respectful way. He was standing beside the man, while the other was sitting down near a small TV while smoking weed and drinking some cheap canned beer. His greasy skin glimmered under the light that the TV emitted. "May I go now?"

The other looked at Sora sideways, staring at the thin frame the boy sported. He wasn't very tall for a 17 year old boy, he barely reached a meter and 65 centimeters, and some of his features, like his eyelashes, nose and mouth were refined and somewhat feminine, even though he still looked too much like a boy. The man sneered and put the money into an envelope, placed it over a small table and looked right at the younger "Whatever, lil' fucker, but I expect at least eighty bucks fer tomorrow"

"Huh?" Sora blinked a few times "but it's always been fifty per day"

The man glared at him, and made a motion as in about to stand up "Ye sayin' you not gonna do it, fuckin' rat?!"

The boy brought his hands up defensively "No, just curious, sir"

Still looking at Sora, the old man took the envelope, and waved it in the air while talking "Tomorrow _they_ will be comin', and I had to use some of the money you got to buy some food. So ye need to bring eighty to cover it"

Sora mentally sneered and tried to stop himself from sending a dirty glare at the old guy. Yeah, food, more like pot or meth. "Okay" He replied, not really excited about it. Though he couldn't really defy the man, he sometimes wanted to slam his fists against his greasy, ugly face. Not like he could, he still treasured his life. With nothing else to say, he turned around and started walking to his "room" (which was really a torn mattress huddled into a corner on the living room) and then sat on his "bed". He looked at the TV, not really watching what was going on in it. He just had one thing in his head _"I hope I can get the money tomorrow…"_

* * *

"You did good, I know we can trust you to continue making business together" The man extended a hand, and waited for the other to do the same.

"Of course, Zexion, I would be mad if I didn't" The other replied, barking a strident laugh, and shook the offered hand excitedly "It's an honor to be your supplier"

Zexion removed his hand from the other's grip and smirked, adjusting his black, elegant suit to his thin torso and continued "So, about the issue of last week's…" he murmured lowly but threateningly.

"O-ho!" The man almost shouted, putting a big hand over his stomach and leaning his head back as if he were about to laugh out loud, but didn't "Trust me, you're never going to see that 'deepthroat' guy again"

The lavender haired man cocked his head to the side a little "Ansem" Zexion grabbed the elder's arm and guided him to a more secluded place, because talking in the middle of a host club wasn't very private "When I said_ 'I don't want to see him around here ever again'_, I didn't mean to give him a beating and a warning" Zexion growled closer to the other's ear, tugging a little on his arm while doing so.

Feeling somewhat offended, but never breaking his submissive role on the conversation, he retorted "For how long have I known you and your boss, huh?" He got closer to the younger one, and sporting a malicious grin he said "Of course we killed the fucker; no one messes with us, and we also don't want to mess with Inagawa-sama…"

Zexion stared at him for a few seconds, before grunting and letting go of the man "Yeah, sometimes I forget how efficient you are, Ansem" Then he pulled out a black envelope, handed it to the bald man, and took a quick look around him "That settles it" He finally said, then turned around and when he was almost walking through the back door of the club, waved without turning.

The black suit clad man continued walking, sighing a little before reaching a black BMW, a Berlina model to be more precise, and signaling a person who was standing close to the car to let him inside. The man quickly opened the door and Zexion nodded at him in thanks, then proceeded to sit inside. He heard the door close, not really caring when they started departing.

He was looking at his hands, fiddling with some papers Ansem had given him, and then looked up at the other man sitting on the opposite side. He was looking at him in a somewhat bored fashion, his head leaning on his hand, his elbow resting on the windowsill.

"Sir" Zexion started with a firm voice, his boss didn't like wimps or displays of fear and weakness, he had come to know while working for him for over 4 years "Ansem asked me to check this for him, he said something about a 'pest' being a little cocky, not paying on time and having an overall defiant attitude towards him". When he finished, his boss turned his head to look at the streets.

He ran a hand through his long silver hair, shimmering with the soft orange lights outside the car with a slow rhythm, making his face appear and then once again disappear from Zexion's sight. Riku Inagawa didn't like riding in cars with the inner lights on, he liked to relax while working. He shifted a little, as if signaling he had reached a conclusion about Ansem's paper. "So he wants me to go and scare him a little, right…". He mumbled, not really asking.

Zexion nodded, he knew his boss didn't like extra conversation, he just had small chats or he tended to lose interest on the subject. Riku tsk'ed, dragging his arm from the windowsill and joined it with his other one to cross them above his chest. "I _despise _doing the dirty job, I always have to pay a shitload for dry-cleaning"

The other man nodded, totally understanding his boss; why would Riku Inagawa, second leader of one of the greatest mafia in Japan, bother with a small fry? He had many men at his disposition to do the handwork for him, to kill those who offended or threatened his circle or his business, or to deal with the clients. It was absurd, almost as if Ansem were mocking him because he knew he couldn't refuse just because Ansem was his father's, Sephiroth Inagawa, good friend.

"Should I ask for the men to take care of it?" Zexion asked as a last resort, fully knowing his boss would take on the job, as stupid and pointless it seemed.

Riku regarded Zexion for a fragment of a second, almost as if saying _'you're kidding me right?' _and took the paper from his hands. He inspected it for a brief moment, and then handed it back to his most trusted helper and right hand. "No, I'll take care of it; if I didn't dad would be nagging at me forever"

"Alright" and that ended the conversation. Even though Riku was just 28, he had the same attitude and similar thinking of his father. He had the mafia leader blood in it, he was cold, somewhat cocky but always had the job done, and done good.

* * *

The first thing Riku saw when he got home was Cloud, his father's assistant, passing by the entrance of the house wearing his usual black kimono. Cloud looked at him, his expression not even changing when he saw him arrive, and bowed at him, his head almost leveled at his stomach.

"Hello, young master" the blond said firmly, then got up again and looked at Riku, eyes stern "Your father wants to see you", then as if nothing, he walked away, towards the beautiful pond that was a few meters away from the main house. Riku wondered what was the man going to do in the gardens at midnight, but then again, Cloud always did so.

"Zexion, you stay here" Riku commanded his helper, and Zexion promptly nodded and walked away. He started walking through the ample halls of the Japanese-style house, his bare feet somewhat cold against the clean wood under them; along the way, some of his men offered to take his jacket and he complied, allowing one to take it off and go hang it in one of the racks at his room. He finally reached a big paper door, and without doubts slid it open.

Inside he found his father, already waiting for him. He was sitting seiza style, his hands neatly folded over his knees and eyes focused on every move his son made. Soon, Riku was sitting right in front of the head honcho, adopting the very same pose his father was sporting. It was almost as if a mirror was standing between them, the resemblance was uncanny.

Sephiroth, all of a sudden, smiled tenderly, a smile he only showed to his son and no one else, and crossed his arms without losing the straightness of his column "So, how was it"

Riku blinked a few times, trying to arrange the words in his mind before talking, and when he finished he sighed "hah…well, the assholes who distribute the alcohol in the B and C district were holding on to some of the bottles we imported and were selling them to other gangs at a higher price than we do. Of course, they just sold them to individual persons, so no other business could be made out of a few bottles, but anyways…we took care of those bastards"

"Ah, that would explain our alcohol's income dropping a few thousand dollars…" Sephiroth said bemused, scratching his chin. "Anything else I should know?"

"Nothing that I can't handle myself" The younger replied, already wanting to go to his room and sleep, it had been a really tiring and long day "Oh, yeah, Ansem asked me to take care of something really stupid"

Sephiroth frowned, his interest piqued "Ansem asked _you_?" He said as if offended because of his comrade not asking him instead of his son.

Riku rolled his eyes at his father's antics "Probably kill someone or beat them to a pulp" the words came out simple, no surprise, nothing new or something he hadn't done before with his very own hands. "Don't worry about it"

"Hm" Sephiroth decided it wasn't really worth fighting over it, and left it at that for now "You're gonna send some men for that duty?"

"No, I'm going to go…if Ansem asked for _my_ help, then it must be for an important reason" He said and ended his talk. "If you excuse me, father"

Sephiroth smirked and nodded, and started standing up before Riku could, and when he was fully straight up, his son proceeded to do the same. If the green eyed boy knew something it was being courteous with his father, who used to spank him every time Riku talked back at him, hit a girl or cried over stupid things. No, he had wanted his son to be objective, cold minded and decided; for the sake of the group and his. Along the road, because of the way he treated his son, his wife had decided to leave fearing the platinum haired yakuza could do the same to her, and also because she felt neglected ever since Riku was born.

Not that Sephiroth had minded. He loved his son and not even a jealous, pestering woman whom he had only used to get a successor would keep them apart. She had _mysteriously_ died on a trip to the beach.

"Good night" Riku mumbled, already walking out.

"Bye, and good job" And with that, the paper door slid shut, leaving him to think while he walked towards his bed and sat on its edge. "I have an odd feeling about this…"

* * *

So? What do you think? Love it or hate it? Well, anyways I'm gong to continue this one, I love the plot I have already planned haha!

Please do leave reviews, they help me get better every time ;)

The next chapter will dive into Sora's life a little more, we already dug deep enough with Riku and Seph on this chapter, huh?


	2. Chapter 2

At last! Whew, it was a very long hard road to get some rest from college, but here I am. Sorry for not updating sooner, but college REALLY was being a bitch. Gladly everything came to a nice end :)

As for this chapter, Riku and Sora finally meet, though let's say not for long. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Warning: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS HIGH VIOLENCE AND PROSTITUTION REFERENCES.**

* * *

It was a Thursday when Sora woke up early, at eight a.m. to be more precise, decided to get those eighty dollars. He got rid of the fabric that covered his thin, tan body, and tiptoed to the dingy bathroom, making sure the old passed out man didn't wake up.

He closed the door behind him and sighed, tired. He was sure he suffered from a twisted spine ever since he was little, mainly because of the thin mattress that didn't really offer a soft sleeping place. His shoulder blades hurt every morning, and his standing pose was a little awkward. Massaging his shoulders a bit and rotating them, he took his four year old toothbrush, added a small amount of toothpaste on it, and started brushing. While at it, he took a look in the mirror, noticing how dull his eyes looked and glanced away; he had long ago accepted that the person in the mirror looking straight at him was another being.

He didn't want to believe that he had spent most of his life obeying some fat, violent man.

Spitting and rinsing his mouth, he washed his face and mussed his hair, not caring either it looked good or bad. Once again, he returned to his 'bed' and got dressed, the same old black t-shirt that was way too thin for winter, his beloved red, long sleeved hoodie and a pair of washed out blue jeans waited on the floor, beside his bed.

After putting his sneakers on, he took off, not even bothering to take a glance back to the apartment room. He had eighty dollars to get.

* * *

It was the fifth time a whore touched his groin without his consent. Riku glared at the woman, who was wearing a tight little dress, and was leaning towards him, both of them in the same elegant white leather couch. One thing his father taught him since he was small was to never hit women, even when they were annoyingly clingy but Sephiroth forgive him, he was about to snap.

"Come on mister Riku, all the girls here are pining for you…" the blonde said, kissing the silverette's neck and latching both her arms around it, already getting up to straddle his lap.

Riku just grabbed her by the waist, pulled her out of his lap and gently (even though his hands were grabbing her a little too tight) laid her on the couch again, back where she was sitting previously and trying to sound polite, but failing, he asked "Thanks, but I'm just waiting for Xigbar. Can you go call him again? I don't like wasting my time"

As he said that, he lit the third cigarette on that night at the whore house. He was getting impatient; he had already waited at least thirty minutes since his arrival and he wasn't happy, he still had a long night ahead and it was just nine p.m.

The woman huffed and glared at the man sitting beside her, who was wearing a very elegant navy blue suit and was actually reaching out for a handkerchief on his pocket to wipe at the red lipstick she had left over his white, creamy skin "And why don't _**you**_ go and fetch him, asshole?" She was already fed up with the guy, who didn't even bother with her even though she had been nice, offered him a drink, and had been especially sexy for him.

Riku stopped on his tracks, his left eye twitching a little, but it went unnoticed by her and the other people surrounding them. He finished rubbing the piece of cloth over his neck and looked at her sideways, lifting his chin out of superiority and cockiness at the same time he puffed a cloud of smoke "go rub your cunt over another man's crotch, _**lady**_"

He had gotten enough, and without another word, he got up and rubbed the cigarette on an ashtray, ready to leave. Xigbar was going to have it.

Until he felt something cold running down his back and pants.

Oh boy, the bitch was going to have it first.

He didn't need anyone telling him that it was that cheap beer the woman had offered him when he got into the club what had been thrown at his back; he just turned around, eyes wide, and grabbed her hair with his fist just to shake her head violently a few times, before lifting her head and go for that so-desired punch he had been holding back.

"W-wait! Mister Inagawa, please!" And then the arm that was in position and almost going for the punch was grabbed and pulled back down, not with enough force to stop him, but it seemed to wake him out of his anger. He threw the whore back to the couch and almost immediately he turned around and grabbed the neck of the old man that was standing behind him.

"I waited here…for _thirty minutes_, enduring this bitch and her bullshit…" Riku sneered, every word made his nostrils go wide, then small again, over and over "And then you dare show your pathetic self here…telling me what _to do…!_" and then, Riku pondered with his outraged mind, and inhaled, then exhaled very quickly a few times, his shoulders and chest heaving to the rhythm of his breathing. And let go of the man.

The older fixed his suit with trembling hands and coughed a little, trying to regain his composure and failing miserably. Riku rested a hand over his hip and the other over his temple, rubbing between his brows and closing his eyes. Even though the man was his underling, he had remembered once again the wise words of his old man:_ business is business. _Had he hit the other, he probably would have ended the recent contract they had made in the prostitution circle, and his father liked everything to go as smooth as silk.

Xigbar gulped and looked at the woman, who was very silent and watching what was going on. He motioned her to go away with his head and she complied.

"Inagawa-san, I'm very, **truly** sorry this happened. They informed me someone was looking for me, but didn't mention your name at all! You know I would have come running—"

"Enough, it's fine…she was new, right?" Riku sighed as he sat back "First, I want her to pay for my suit's dry-cleaning, even if she has to make extra shifts"

Xigbar sat on the sofa in front of the white couch while nodding furiously and making a "mhm" sound, confirming the petition. He saw Riku pulling out a smartphone out of his pants' pocket and dialing. "Zexion, come upstairs and bring me a change of clothes, quickly". Without expecting an answer, he hung up and looked straight at the man. "…Second, I want you to arrange a meeting room in order for my group and you to talk. I shall meet you there in no more than five minutes after I call you out for business" Riku then propped himself to his knees to get closer to Xigbar "…How do you intend on having regular meetings with your clients or superiors if you make them wait in _**here**_?, what kind of impression do you want them to leave with?"

Xigbar looked down, ashamed. He had been a famous pimp before becoming the owner of the club they were in; before Sephiroth decided the sex business was actually doing very well on the district and decided to add a new club to his collection for extra profit. They were acquaintances for a long time ago, and the head honcho of the Inagawa mafia knew Xigbar could do a decent job. Thing was, he used to lead a whore 'house', literally, not a huge club: he wasn't familiar with proper and established business.

Riku sighed again "I shall lead you through the basics…but remember, I have better things to attend to, and my patience is _short_" Just as he finished saying that, Zexion was beside him handing him a neatly packed set of clothes. Riku received them and Zexion bowed down in respect. "Now lend me your shower and towels, I need to clean this mess up" He signaled to his clothes, which were damp and smelly.

Xigbar, feeling better now that Riku, the _son of the mafia himself,_ offered his help to improve the club's image, nodded and led him to his personal suite with a relieved smile, and made his secretary personally attend to his wishes and commands.

The young leader, before entering the bathroom, signaled Zexion to come closer and gave him a few instructions. The attendant nodded once they were finished and proceeded to return to the car.

Riku, once he was alone at the suite, entered the bathroom, finding it quite elegant. He took off his clothes and got himself into the steaming water of the shower. Good grief, he was taking a bath in work hours, good thing he always carried a change of clothes in case he got blood or dirt on his suit. It was a dirty job, after all. For the hundredth time that night, he sighed, thinking about his previous actions. He had almost hit a woman, and also a business partner; something wasn't right with him that night.

"Maybe I really need to have sex" He said to himself. Almost a second after, he laughed at himself bitterly: how sad was his sex life? If having sex once or twice a month with whores was considered a '_sex life'_ at all. He remembered the times when he was in high school, almost all the girls on his grade had slept with him at least once until he had come of age and took on his father's job, at least a part of it though.

He had become so busy with the mafia he barely had time to even think about fucking with someone. His libido had gone to hell and nowadays, sex was just a way to vent his frustration or anger on someone. Not to mention, Sephiroth and his previous experience with his mother had left a deep scar, even if it didn't show. He had a hard time on feeling anything more than want for the opposite sex, and even though he once or twice tried on having a relationship, as soon as the girls discovered he was from the mafia, either they just went to him for the money, the pleasurable sex the boy provided, or Riku himself ended it when they got too close, remembering another of his father's teachings: _Women hinder business._

Over the years, he just became a cold, bastardly, indifferent man. The perfect gangster.

* * *

For the third time this day, Sora was following a complete stranger to get his wallet; the first couple of victims were a college student and a middle aged lady, probably a secretary by the way she was dressed. The first was a simple task, the boy didn't even notice when he had plunged his hand into his bag, filled with other valuable things like a laptop, an Ipod, some medicine books…but Sora just wanted the leather wallet.

As crazy as it sounded, he just stole money and nothing else, it wasn't in his nature to steal objects, it was probably due to his indifference to anything but his life. Yes, he treasured his life more than anything else, even if it sucked a lot all the time. Along the way of his life, he had met a few people, also from the streets, and had taught him the ways of pick-pocketing, hiding, knowing his victims, and all he needed to get out of trouble if caught. He wouldn't call them his friends, mostly because they were the same as him now: just working for his own good. But he was fine, he had respected that with the naivety he possessed at the tender age of ten. He had grown to learn from those guys that in this life, nothing was more valuable and worth saving than your life, even if it meant killing others to save yourself. He wouldn't call this philosophy as being selfish, and maybe if Sora had gone to a school, he would have known it was something similar to the 'Natural Selection'.

And there he was, predator stalking the prey. He walked quickly behind a young adult, maybe thirty-something. He got right behind him, ready to bump into him and get his wallet that was peeking from his back pocket.

Until they got him.

He couldn't tell how many they were at first, one was grabbing his arms together, another one was pointing him with a gun, and maybe another one was just talking to a walkie-talkie. Some people were glaring at him, nothing unusual there. As quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared, now with the brunette in their power. Sora then looked at them and recognized the trio: the usual cops that grabbed him and let him go time after time.

"tsk, tsk, sonny, you ne'er learn, do ya?"

Sora just continued walking, a little impatient; this was the typical act these cops pulled. They were so corrupted by money and drugs from various mafia groups, they never actually got him into jail. Now, he just waited for what they called their "fun time".

One cop, the one who was grabbing his hands together, pushed him into an alley and the other men followed suit. Chaplin, as Sora had dubbed the weird-mustached old man, pushed him and he hit the wall with his back and as soon as he lifted his eyes to glare at them, he was punched hard on his left cheek, making his head lull very fast to the opposite side. He whined almost silently, but said nothing. This was a very, very low price to pay for freedom.

He heard the chuckles of his abusers but just closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists, waiting for the next movement. Then came a few insults, some nasty words, and finally a knee to the stomach, and a stomach-clenching Sora wondered in a flash why they were stopping so soon.

"You know, we are a little low in meth, Stan" The younger cop said casually

"Now that you mention it, yeah" Chaplin responded, then looked at Sora and stared at him for a few silent seconds "You don't happen t´have some change with ye, boy?" he asked mockingly; he knew very well he had the money.

Sora kept silent, staring back at them without an ounce of fear or weakness, but maybe a little uncertainty. If these men took his money now, there was no chance he would escape the wrath of the old man waiting for him at the apartment. His eyebrows descended over his eyes, a scowl was now very visible on his young face. This was it.

When one cop started checking his hoodie's pockets for money and the other two just watched amused, Sora collected all his willpower and mentally told his legs to please, _please_ run as fast as they could. And as soon as the cop was going for his pants' pockets, he took off.

He ran, he really tried as hard as he could and strained his legs so much, he couldn't really feel them now. _'Don't look back, don't you __**dare**__!' _he told himself, and repeated it like a mantra for his own, no God had ever helped him and no God was needed for him.

"Gotcha!" he heard, and as if those words were some kind of switch, everything turned to black. Before passing out completely, he felt rustling, laughter, then his body being dragged somewhere. Then desperation for a brief second, then peace.

* * *

The next time he woke up, he was into a police patrol and was already dark outside. Then it hit him as if a bucket of ice had been thrown over his (sore) head and shot up from his seat, desperately trying to find the handle of the door into the dark car. He started sweating cold and his breathing got raged, the damn thing was closed and impossible to budge and forget about the window mechanism since there wasn't one.

"Yo, finally you wake up, huh!"

Oh he knew that voice; it was Chaplin again but now by his annoying self alone. Sora glared at him and clenched his teeth, what was going on? Some part of him didn't want to know in the slightest. The old man sitting in the driver's place threw his right arm over the back of his seat, placing his elbow on the edge of it, and glanced sideways at the squirming boy sitting on the back.

"You _know_ we just can't either throw you into jail nor charge you because you help us **so **much with easy money, and we kinda like you…" Sora knew that tone, that taunting sound, a mix of irony and spite. "…so the boys'n me thought _'hey, let's just take little rascal back'ome!' _since we bet you learned yer daily lesson huh?"

The fuckers! They knew Sora stole just to get the money for his 'boss' and evade a beating or scolding, they also knew he couldn't run away from the man in the apartment, and oh, they also knew what the consequences of his return without a single quarter were. After all, they all worked for the same mafia group, though his boss didn't really know that fact, and didn't need to know he related a little with cops. He hated them and would, without doubt, kill Sora if he ever asked for their help or had anything else to do with them.

Suddenly the man got out of the car and opened Sora's door, yanking him out by his arm and ignoring his protest. He hated to admit it, but he was afraid; you never knew what the old, fat man was capable of doing for money. They started climbing up some stairs and headed for the fourth floor without Sora telling him where he lived, they knew it very well. For every floor they reached, his legs would become weaker and weaker, and he ashamedly admitted to himself he was freaking out bad. He thought about running away, it was cake, but what was the case? He was nothing wherever he thought of going.

They finally reached the door, apartment room 407, and the cop knocked on the white old wood. Not even two seconds after his boss appeared from inside and scowled when he saw the cop, and then at the little street rat that worked for him trying desperately to keep his eyes from meeting his.

"Good night, sir" The cop said. This scene wasn't new, the man and other of his colleagues had brought Sora home at least two times before, never really mentioning the true cause of his ride on the patrol, mainly because they didn't want to have problems with the mafia or the police department superiors, it was a job with many _handy perks_ after all. "We found this kid passed out on the streets. He says he lost consciousness and fainted, luckily we found'im before something else happened" The cop tugged on the younger's arm, as in telling him to say anything but to no avail.

The man just made a guttural sound with his throat and grabbed Sora by a shoulder, pulling him into the room "Thanks". Then he kindly slammed the door on the policeman's face.

Sora stood close to a corner of the small room and was near to having an anxiety attack by the way his breathing was becoming more and more erratic. The older man looked at him with disdain and just took a seat on the only chair they owned, not really taking notice of the way he was having difficulties on breathing. He grunted something Sora couldn't understand and then pinned him with suspicious eyes.

"What was that about" More than a question, it sounded more like a command that snapped him out of his trance and made him shiver; he had never been a coward and he didn't plan on starting now even though he was sure a beating was coming. He stood up straight and inhaling an oh-so needed deep breath, he looked at him straight but said nothing. It was one of those times when you think saying even one word could mess up everything even more than it was already; so he just waited.

The old man, deciding to pass on the fact a cop had brought Sora home, went directly to business "Fuck that, just hand me the money"

Sora shifted a little and his eyes moved from the left to look at the door, and to the right to look at the kitchenette, as if searching for a magic hole that appeared from nowhere and hide there until his boss's rage diminished. Just like a scared bunny running to his little cozy den. He was no bunny, damnit!

"…I lost it" With no authorization, his voice cracked a little when he started talking, what was the point on saying they stole it from him? He didn't want to be called an idiot or weakling. Another thing that cracked was the wooden old chair when the older man got up and stalked closer to him. The closer he got, the higher he had to lift his head to keep eye contact, he wasn't going to pussy out.

The bald, taller man covered his face for a moment, and then slapped Sora´s cranium with little force "Little piece of…stop kidding already and—"

"**I said I lost it!**"

Next thing, he was on the floor being pinned down by his waist by the other's body. His boss was sitting on his stomach and the weight wasn't exactly welcomed nicely, and the brusque fall to the floor had been bad for his already swollen head (thanks to the cops and their clubs). He tried fighting back and squirmed to get him off, but the man was way heavier than him. A punch to his mouth prevented him from screaming, he had probably bit on his tongue and _God it hurt. _Next came his nose and face, punched so hard he was losing consciousness just from the stinging pain, he used his hands to cover his head: if the guy kept going for his cranium he was sure he would end dead or in a coma.

Frustrated by his struggle, the older took his right arm and tried to pry it away from his bloody mess of a face, but was met with opposing force and so, the only solution he could come up with was of course, _dislocating_ his arm.

"U-urgh!" Sora growled loudly. Mixing pain, and frustration, and impotence and anger…and just everything wrong with the world in that exact moment wasn't a good combination. Tears of pure helplessness rushed down his bruised cheeks and he _tried_, and _squirmed_, and _suppressed_ his pain so much he thought at some point he was going to explode from the sheer amount of feelings rushing all together to his body and brain.

But he would endure it, he was no weakling.

Seeing that even with a dislocated arm the boy wouldn't let him touch his upper body, he decided to stand up and just snicker at his new idea. The kid would learn the lesson. The money he earned wasn't something to joke about. Out of his mind as he was, he stomped hard on Sora's dislocated arm, kicking with excessive force in the joint of his arm and shoulder. Sora used his left arm to prop himself up and try to fight back, but he was dizzy and as soon as his head disconnected from the floor, he fell right back on the spot.

"Today was our last chance!" The older screamed as he kicked the younger's stomach with the tip of his shoes, digging deep. Sora tried to put his legs to good use and get into a fetal position to protect his vital organs, but as soon as the other saw what he was trying to do, he kicked his ribcage so hard, he had to grab his chest with his good hand. A light and intermittent 'aaah' could be heard, but it was more of a soft, short shriek than a sigh or a yell.

As final blow, and seeing Sora wasn't resisting anymore, the aggressor delivered the final kick with his dirty shoe, this time onto Sora's head. All of a sudden, all squirming and raged breathing stopped and the man was silently trying to assimilate the whole situation. He had at least thirty minutes until eleven to get his things packed and run away from the 'debt collectors' as he used to call them. Mafia sounded way too tacky.

But what about the boy? Should he leave him there alone? Well, he _did_ lose the money…"Should be fine" He said to himself, and then went to his room and picked a large bag and stuffed it with a few belongings.

* * *

Riku truly hated doing this kind of dirty, low-life odd job, but Ansem had requested it for a reason and it better be a good one, and just for kicks, he had called Axel to give him a hand once he was dressed anew and was exiting the men's club. Although he was going to a commoner's house for the first time he wanted at least someone who dealt with these kind of things, and well Axel was a hitman of sorts. He was good at getting his ideas through, and did an even better job at that with a gun.

"We are here, sir" Zexion said to Riku and proceeded to get down the car and hold the door open for his boss. The place was as expected very run down and cheap-looking, that was another reason for Riku to get this visit done quickly. Axel and him started going up the stairs and reached the correspondent room, then knocked loudly on the door and waited for an answer, but none came. Exasperated, Axel knocked on it even harder, and this time they could hear someone approaching the door.

"Who i-is it!" They answered from inside, a little jumpy.

Axel smirked at Riku and replied "_the easter bunny!..._" he sang "Open the fucking door before I slam it on your face!" The last word was punctuated by a very loud kick on the cracking wood separating them. Riku snorted amusedly, he liked how Axel did his job.

The door was of course opened in a hurry, and Riku could finally see the problematic guy Ansem had mentioned: not too short but shorter than him anyways, going bald, fat, dirty…and agitated. He didn't blame the guy though. Riku didn't even bother to enter the disgusting excuse for a home, he just reduced himself to looking at it with mocking pity.

Finally looking at the man´s eyes, he started talking "Ansem sent me" At the mention of the former, the old man cringed and seemed to understand what was happening: these guys were also from the mafia Ansem had under his power…maybe underlings? "Said you were a troublesome client…always in debt, asking for too much and never paying" Axel, who was idly standing behind Riku, admired how good with words he was; always giving the right amount of emphasis to the correct phrase and inspiring fear without sounding rude or angry.

"That's none of your business. Ansem and I—"

"Ansem" The silverette hissed as he got closer to the man "…Is one of my associates. You don't pay him, you don't pay _**me**_"

The man took a step back, seeing no possible escape. As soon as he took the step back, Riku noticed someone else inside the apartment: It was a young boy, brown spiky hair and thin frame, lying inertly on the floor with his arms spread wide and some blood running from his nose. The gangster rolled his eyes; he was so used to seeing junkies passed out from sniffing too much coke. The assholes. Deciding to ignore the sheer display of stupidity, he looked back at the stuttering man.

"I'm sorry, sir…! You see, I will have the money tomorrow night, I swear!" He answered trembling, then pointed at Sora "It's this kid's fault! He had the money but—"

"I don't give a shit about the damn kid, look…" Riku got closer to the man and grabbed him by his shirt "If it weren't this late, and I hadn't had this shitty day to make me want to just go straight home and rest, I would _rip_ your stomach open, take your kidneys _out_, and make you go sell them…_**Right. Now**_!" As if in cue, he shoved the man back into his apartment and continued "I expect the money tomorrow at eight o'clock, and I will personally come fetch it. And if by chance…you are planning on escaping, I will have you know we have personnel _all over_ and also _outside_ the U.S."

Without further ado, Riku turned around and walked away, followed close by Axel.

* * *

When he finally got home and was received respectfully by his underlings, it was close to midnight, and he wasn't up to anything else but to take another shower and go to bed. Even if his back was begging for a cushion, he always passed by his father's room to give him a summary of the daily occurrences, and that was an almost sacred custom; so there he stood outside his room and knocking on the door. He was met with utter silence, and when he was going to knock again, he heard a reply.

"Riku, is that you son?"

"Yes father" What was wrong? His father seemed kind of…odd today. "I have come to inform you"

Sephiroth sighed and rustling could be heard from inside "Riku, I'm not feeling very well right now. Could you come tomorrow morning at eight?"

Somewhat pleased to hear that, Riku accepted "Yes father, please do rest well"

Not expecting anything else from Sephiroth, he just continued on his way to his bed. Although he was American and lived in America, their house was a Sukiya-zukuri, or better known as the typical Japanese house, with tatamis, Japanese-themed gardens and sliding doors. His father had Japanese blood, half to be exact, and so he himself was something like 25% Japanese. So customs like eating together at the table, respecting his father above anyone else, bring honor, and smaller things like taking off their shoes while inside or wearing yukatas when resting (among many others) were something usual in his life. He liked how clean, elegant and organized this lifestyle was.

Reaching for his room, he changed into his silky dark green yukata and got inside his bed, which was part of the small group of things that were not Japanese in his house: he hated futons.

* * *

The next day, as scheduled, he got inside his father's room at eight o'clock and took a seat in front of him. He told him about the whole incidents at Xigbar's, then at the commoner's. Sephiroth laughed a little when he heard about his adventure with the wild prostitute but then just proceeded to dismiss his son. Luckily for Riku, today wasn't a very busy day and so, he had all the morning and afternoon to do whatever he pleased. And he knew exactly what to do.

With little difficulty, he found Cloud passing on the gardens, apparently he was trimming some bonsais with a serious face. Riku called one of his underlings that was closest by, and instructed him to go fetch the blond; seconds later, Cloud was in front of him bowing to salute him.

"Remember that Go match you promised?" Riku asked him, and Cloud seemed to be taken aback, but then just smiled softly, almost invisibly.

"Yes, Riku-sama. Do you have free time today?" Cloud asked, already walking towards the porch and sitting down on the wooden floor. Riku noticed he was wearing a yukata his father had given him for his twenty sixth birthday, almost six years ago: an elegant but simple white-flower patterned black yukata, made entirely of silk.

"Until afternoon" He responded, and promptly motioned a group member to bring the Go set. They brought it and another member, Demyx, brought some snacks. After thanking both of them, he said "I want white".

Cloud smiled tenderly at that "You always want the white pieces" and so, the older started sorting both colors in their right places. "So I start".

"_Dozo (please do)_"

After several minutes, Cloud was winning but not by far, after all, he had taught Riku over all the years he had lived with him, and Cloud was too good at Go. "You give up?" He said and leaned to his right to pick another cookie and eat it.

"No, just thinking" Riku retorted and pursed his lips in thought. He heard Cloud's small giggle and lifted his gaze "What?"

"Just…" Suddenly, the blonde's eyes became somewhat sad and nostalgic as he looked at the game board "Even when you were like…eleven years old, you used to make the same thing with your mouth"

Riku's eyes widened a little and stopped pursing his lips and a light frown appeared on his face "Well, yeah, you used to crush me on this game. I would often get angry and kick the board away" The younger said with a tiny smile.

Cloud just nodded, a little overwhelmed by fond memories from when he had joined the mafia circle at the tender age of sixteen, doing stupid jobs like walking Riku's passed away dog, cleaning the rest of the team's shoes, gardening…all because Sephiroth said so. He had refused to let the younger Cloud join the family, saying he was useless and a waste of time; but now Cloud knew very well his boss had done that to keep him safe from his world.

"So, shall we continue?" Riku interrupted him

"Oh, yes, sorry"

* * *

After two hours of playing Go and two straight defeats, a four hour nap, lunch, and making some calls, he was getting ready to go collect the money from the guy who owed Ansem. He called Axel again and told him to accompany him just in case. Sometimes even a simple thing like collecting money was dangerous; he had various scars to prove it. They waited outside the house for Zexion, who was bringing the BMW and got in once he parked in front of them.

"Sir, I believe it would be safe if Axel carried a gun with him" Zexion suggested, a little out of context while he was driving.

"Why would you say that?" Riku always heard Zexion's advice; for being so young, he was a pretty intelligent and quick-minded man.

"I just…don't have a good feeling about this mission Ansem requested for you to perform, sir. Please don't take me wrong, I just want you to be safe" He said, looking back at Riku using the rear-view mirror.

Riku looked at Axel and nodded at him. Axel then, with fascination sparkling in his eyes, leaned down and slid out a black briefcase hiding under his seat and opened it. Inside were some basic weapons like a Desert Eagle, some knifes, and a brass knuckle. Picking out the gun, he smiled at it and hid it on his three pieces suit's pocket.

After twenty minutes they were parking outside the apartment and got down, but not before Zexion wished them good luck. They climbed the stairs once again and got to the same old door, but something was different. Was the apartment this silent yesterday? Somehow, an ominous feeling started to rise in Riku's stomach. It wasn't fear or anxiety, but maybe suspicion?

Axel proceeded then to knock on the door once. Then twice and thrice but no response. Riku, tired of the suspense and wanting to get to the point just kicked the door hard twice and finally opened it with a loud _bang_, and as he had expected, it was empty. Or so he thought.

The red head was the first to enter the place and check if everything was in order, and shortly, after ten second of inspection, Axel had whispered to Riku for him to get inside quickly. Riku lifted an eyebrow as white as the suit he was wearing with a black shirt under it and walked into the room.

The hitman the pointed at the floor and said "It's the same kid from yesterday, sir"

Riku looked at the kid, who had apparently crawled from his previous spot and was huddled over a dirty, worn out mattress. His face was covered in black and blue bruises that weren't there yesterday, and the blood running from his nose had pooled under his right cheek, and was already dry. He had his left arm thrown over his chest, covering it lightly and his right arm was spread wide out of the mattress.

The gangster also noticed how his body was completely still, as if he were…

"Sir, look at this!" Axel alerted his boss, and handed him an envelope "It was over the table"

Forgetting the boy for a moment, he looked at it doubtfully, and started touching and feeling it, just to make sure nothing weird was inside. When he decided it was safe enough, he ripped the paper open and inside were eighty dollars the man probably owed Ansem. He took the money, folded it neatly and shoved it inside his pocket. "Well, he paid the debt…so we are done here".

Then, he cocked his head and looked back at the young boy, was he still on drugs? Just out of curiosity, he tapped the hand that was outstretched at him with the tip of his Armani black shoes, but nothing happened. Axel sighed.

"He's dead, sir. We shouldn't touch him or we will get in trouble. You know, fingerprints…"

"…" Taking a long look at the boy, he placed his hands inside his pants' pockets and resolved to leave. As soon as he took one step, he felt someone tug at his pants "What the…!"

When he looked back down, he saw the hand he had just tapped grabbing onto the hem of his pants, not strongly enough to stop him. His eyes then traveled to the boy's face and to his surprise, he was awake and was gaping at him. He admitted he was a little crept out by the fact a seemingly dead person had grabbed him and was now looking straight at him with half-lidded eyes. Riku immediately moved his leg away from the boy and kept looking at him as if he were watching a freak show.

Axel cupped his boss' shoulder and nudged him "Sir, let's get out of—"

"…ive…"

Riku, in pure astonishment, opened his bright green eyes and frowned at the same time, mouth slightly open and strained his ears. The boy had talked, he was sure, but couldn't understand what he was saying since his mouth had barely moved at all, and the words sounded slurry. Standing still, he waited for the boy to say something else.

"ah-I…I wan'ta…" Now the boy was trying hard to form words, and even so, it sounded more like a clogged pipe draining water. "I…"

"Move sir" Axel said, now with the gun on his hand "Let me kill him" and he took a few steps ahead, getting side to side with his boss.

Riku looked at his companion in bewilderment; it was probably the best for the kid and them, but he just couldn't stop listening to the mumbling boy. Glancing back at the brunette, he could now see the desperation in his eyes, his oh-so blue eyes. Axel kept on aiming his gun at his head waiting for Riku's signal, but it never came.

Suddenly, the boy started to cry hard. His tears were thick and became tinted red when they rolled over his bloodied cheek and nose, and his face became even messier than it was before; Then the sobbing started but was followed by a pained streak of awful cries and slight squirming.

"_**A-aaaaah**_! Ugh-_**aaaaargh**_!" Every time the kid sobbed, he squirmed grabbing his chest with his left hand and let out a loud yell that sounded so pitiful and desperate, Riku was starting to feel a _little_ sorry for him. The kid all of a sudden seemed to get composed for a moment, and between painful sobs, he started croaking out softly:

"I-I want to live…_live_…" Each time he uttered a word, and inhaled to continue talking, he made a pained face and shrieked softly, almost like a purr, and the gangster started thinking that maybe he was having a hard time breathing. And so he continued, this time, looking with lost eyes at Riku "I ne-_need _to live…". The silverette noticed the kid was, more than anything, repeating his words like a salvation prayer and he wasn't also very sure if the prayer was directed to him. The kid was delirious.

But something made Riku grab Axel's arms and put them down, making him stop pointing at the boy. The brunette somewhat resembled Cloud: those stern, blue eyes and the spiky hair…And even if the boy was probably going to be killed, he still had the will to survive, to live, and Riku respected that. He sure had a soft spot for Cloud. Damn him.

"_Shit_…I just can't fucking **believe **I'm going to help this…_this_…" Riku hissed and then snapped "Just go fetch Zexion and tell him to call Leon before I change my mind!"

* * *

SOOOOOOOOOO?! Long chapter, no?

Who is Leon? Why is he important? What will happen to little beat up Sora? Find out next…uhh…week maybe?

Liked it? Hated it? Please do leave a review, it helps me improve so much!


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